Oscar Piastri may have grabbed a golden chance to slash Lando Norris’s championship lead, but the on-track drama in Qatar was matched by an unexpected menace off it — gravel slicing into tyres like shrapnel.
Piastri stormed to pole for the Qatar Sprint, perfectly placed to eat into Norris’s 24-point advantage, with the McLaren pair starting P1 and P3 respectively. Max Verstappen — level on points with Piastri in the standings — could only manage sixth, though he’ll have teammate Yuki Tsunoda (fifth) acting as rear-gunner.
With just 58 points left this season, including eight in Saturday’s 100km dash, every position matters.
But championship arithmetic wasn’t the only thing giving teams headaches.
Behind the scenes, Pirelli uncovered serious tyre damage after gravel was dragged onto the racing line during qualifying.
“We had several cuts on the treads… all the corners affected,” said chief engineer Simone Berra. “Some of them were very deep.”
The cause? Lusail’s newly installed gravel strips at Turns 6, 10, 14 and 16 — and they’re not rounded stones. These sharp-edged rocks act like miniature blades, especially when drivers abuse kerbs and flick debris across the circuit.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Pirelli has already imposed a strict 25-lap maximum tyre life this weekend due to structural concerns. Add the threat of gravel-induced punctures, and strategists are suddenly juggling two crises at once.
The FIA and Pirelli are now monitoring the situation closely, but the stakes are clear: Championship rivals gearing up for a sprint showdown on a track that’s literally trying to cut their tyres apart.
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